Miranda Lambert, Thomas Rhett + More to Celebrate Essential Workers on New TV Special

Miranda Lambert, Thomas Rhett and more country stars will honor the essential workers on the frontlines of the fight against the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) in a new TV special. CMT Celebrates Our Heroes is set for June 3 at 8PM ET.

In addition to Lambert and Rhett, CMT Celebrates Our Heroes will also feature Florida Georgia Line, Lady Antebellum, Little Big Town, Kelsea Ballerini, Brothers Osborne and more to-be-announced acts. The artists will all film performances and special messages from their homes, as they have for myriad special events and late-night TV shows during quarantine, honoring healthcare workers, first responders, military members, food industry members, educators and other essential workers.

CMT Celebrates Our Heroes will air in the timeslot originally set aside for the 2020 CMT Music Awards ceremony, which has been pushed to Oct. 14 in light of the coronavirus pandemic. The TV special this year takes the place of the CMT Artists of the Year ceremony, which annually recognizes a handful of acts who made waves in country music that year and usually airs in the fall.

"The CMT Artists of the Year franchise has always been reflective of the important issues of our time, and this year, we all felt it necessary to shift our focus to honoring the real heroes during these unprecedented times,” says Leslie Fram, CMT's senior vice president of music and talent. "The country music community will come together to honor these heroic men and women. The evening of unity will feature incredible performances, uplifting tributes and a salute to those risking their lives on the frontlines of this crisis."

The 2020 CMT Music Awards usually help kick off the four-day CMA Fest, which runs in Nashville each June. The spread of the coronavirus has canceled that event for 2020; it will be the first time in 48 years that CMA Fest (previously known as Fan Fair) will not happen.